5 january - Hong Kong

We're here!!!! And wow is it surreal that we're actually at the start of our adventure that we've been planning and working for for so long. CRAZY!!!!
The trip over was not a short one...left Norway Sunday morning, landed in Munich, Germany in the afternoon (eight hour layover) and then off to HK 9:50pm. Now that trip was not a pleasant one. We can't really complain about our seating, however we can complain about the couple sitting infront of us. Isn't there's some sort of unwritten rule when flying that you don't recline your seat ALL the way back so that you're practically laying in the laps of those behind you?!?!?!?! We looked around the plane when this couple decided to do so, and no one had reclined their seats as far back as these rediculous couple in front. Anywho, we finally landed in Hong Kong around 3:30ish p.m today, Monday and during our decent, Oddbjørn and I were glued to the window to see the city and surrounding islands below.
When we got our backpacks - and yes they showed up, something I'm always anxious about, the plan was to take the Express train into the city, but as Oddbjørn was paying for his ticket a man standing next to us offered to give us a lift in for the same price as the train. Thinking "Ok, this can be the start of our adventure (or the end :P)", this total stranger drove us to Kowloon and our hostel. On the way from the airport he told us about the different islands and what goes on here and there. Super nice driver dude and we're still alive....
The hostel that we're staying at is a story in itself really and not very easy to explain - it's one of those places you have to expereince for yourself. The whole place is called Chungking Mansion and this Chungking Mansion is made up of a bunch of differnt hostels and guesthomes. Our guidebook really describes it to a tee - "Staying at the mansion is a badge of honor to some budget travellers, an unpleasent nessecity to other. The dingey hallways and semi squalor contain dozens of guesthouses offering cheap boxy and usually stuffy accomodation in an excellent location. Oppressive and fascinating at the same time, Chungking Mansion is a warren of small-scale commerse and Hong Kong's cultural melting pot." And like the description from the guidebook, the room is a box containing a bed, window, a couple of shelves and a bathroom closet - yes a closet with a toilet, a shower on the wall and a sink. It's so small that we have to sit sideways on the toilet and keep the toiletseat up when showering so that the water has somewhere to go instead of all over the floor. :p Like the genie in Aladdin said - "Itty bitty living space!!!" But it's super fun. I don't think I would get a room at the Sheraton next door when we're paying NOK 100 a night...so this is home sweet home until Thursday.

January 6 - Hong Kong and Lantau Island

This morning we were supposed to get an early start on things since we were off to Lantau Island to see the Big Buddah and the Po Lin Monastery, but due to time difference and jet lag we didn't wake up until 11ish. But you know what, we're on vacation and we can do whatever we want :) So after showers in the closet, we walked down to the pier to get some breakfast before catching the Star Ferry over to Hong Kong Island. We found this fast food restaurant and ordered scrambeled eggs with beef thinking "yummf" - soooo wrong. Scrambeled eggs here are obviously just heated egg whites - it was thick and runny and just really nasty with a few pieces of beef. But being the cultural backpackers that we are, we dove into it and ate all the beef and rice leaving the eggwhite soup to those who..well I don't know.... An experience - definetly!!!!
Over on Hong Kong Island we found the ferry to the outlying island of Lantau and when docked at Mui Wo, we caught bus #2 to the Po Lin monastary. The road was narrow and curved making the drive alot more exciting with our stomachs digesting those yummy eggwhites. Finally at the top, we get out of the bus and what greets us, sitting on top of its throne of Lotus flowers, is the Big Buddah. I must admit I let out a little scream. It was absolutly unreal looking up at one of Asia's largest sitting Buddah statues, really just looking at a "real" Buddah statue. Walking up the steps, we could just see and feel the presence of the Buddah. In the midst of Buddhist religion, Oddbjørn and I could feel our karmas growing and wisdom being soaked up while strolling the wisdom trail just beyond the monestary. On the way back to Tsim Sha Tsui we decided to take the cable car down to the other side of the island and then the train back to Hong Kong. Back on HK Island, we ended up taking advantage of happy hour like true backpackers living on tight budgets before heading back to our mouse hole for some shut eye.
Tai Chi awaites tomorrow morning.
Hâo shuí :))))

January 7 - Hong Kong island

We got up at 7:50am to catch our Tai Chi lesson, (I believe I was a little more excited about it then Oddbjørn) but sadly there was no one there at the courtyard. So what does one do at 9 am in HK??? Starbucks for some morning coffee and the morning paper along with some serious people watching. There are so many different people here. A mix of hot shot business people and these young funky dressed people on their way to who knows where.Todays breakfast was a lot better than yesterday with our nasty scrambeled eggs. Today we went to a Japanese place before heading over to HK island to do some serious walking and looking around. We checked out the 47th floor of the Bank of China to get a birds view of the city, took a stroll in the Hong Kong Park, and then took the tram up to Victoria Peak where we got some really great panoramic pictures. But the highlight of today came this evening when we took the tram to the Happy Valley Race Course to see some serious Chinese horse gambling. the stadium was huge and there were tons of people there - tourists, people just finished from work, young people, old people you name it. Super cool!!!

Tomorrow we say farewell to Hong Kong and Ni Hao to China. New adventures lie ahead.

xoxo